Published inAbout Me Stories·PinnedMember-onlyAbout Me — John PucayKarinderya Love Songs, my debut novel, is now available for pre-order. — Karinderya Love Songs is a 2020s dating and sex literary fiction novel set in Baguio and Metro Manila, Philippines. …About Me6 min readAbout Me6 min read
Published inPolyamory Today·PinnedMember-onlyCommon Relationship Pitfalls Polyamory Helped Me OutgrowIn a monogamous relationship, it would’ve taken me much longer to recognize these. — I watched Sofia Coppola’s On The Rocks last night. The film is about a wife who suspects her husband is cheating. We see the wife struggling to trust her husband and rejecting her playboy father’s advice, like investigating her husband’s hotel stays and private messages. It’s a nice movie, but…Relationships6 min readRelationships6 min read
Published inAn Injustice!·PinnedMember-onlyPoor People Can Only Afford To Be Young When They’re OldWe work to buy the privileges of youth that we missed, one job at a time — In his song, “Old AF,” Alex Aiono says it’s difficult to feel young when you’re burdened by responsibilities. “Being young is pretty easy to forget, when you’re 16; paying mom and dad’s rent.” I remember when I was 9 or 10 years old, a charity volunteer who visited my village…Work6 min readWork6 min read
Published inLEVEL·PinnedMember-onlyHow I Lost Myself in Search of MoneyFreeing yourself from a soul-sucking job is a challenge when poverty is all you’ve ever known — You can’t “learn” to stop chasing money. It’s easy to say someone should get a career rather than a job, but it’s not that simple if you’ve only ever lived in piddling poverty. It’s a mindset I know well: I was born and raised poor in a developing country. …Life Lessons8 min readLife Lessons8 min read
Published inP.S. I Love You·PinnedMember-onlyHappy EndingsA long-term couple goes on their last date. — She asked for a last date. I agreed. She had three requests. “Can we have our last date for an entire day?” She asked. I said we could. We’ll spend the day together, present in the moment. “Can we act like we’re still together?” It was her second request. I…Love8 min readLove8 min read
Published inHello, Love·Aug 5, 2022Member-onlyHope For People Who Suck at Online DatingTired of meeting superficial people online? Me too. — I’ve lost count of all the imaginative folks on Bumble who send hand-wave emojis to start a conversation. Not even a, “Hi” or “Hello” because who’s got time and energy for those right? And then there was this girl who made me pay for the whole tab on a first…Dating4 min readDating4 min read
Published inILLUMINATION·Aug 5, 2022Member-only7 Ways To Improve Your Writing TodayAccording to Hemingway, Zinsser & personal experience. — If you’re here, you’re either reading stuff before you write (like I do), or you’re stuck with a specific writing problem and you’re looking for solutions. Or maybe you’re just bored and binge-reading on Medium, for you, is more productive than binge-watching thirst traps on TikTok. …Writing6 min readWriting6 min read
Published inCurious·Jul 17, 2022Member-onlyOnline Dating Sucks Because People Don’t Read BiosDull messages. And why “numbers” don’t define dating success. — So my debut novel on 2020s superficial dating just came out. And I was talking to one of my partners (I’m in a Polyamorous setup with 2 women) and she said, “You should celebrate your book!” And I said, “how do I do that?” …Dating6 min readDating6 min read
Published inThe Writing Cooperative·Feb 4, 2022Member-onlyI Threw Away 3 Different Drafts To Complete My First NovelBefore I finally published it. — There’s a quote from the author, Charles Finch, that I return to whenever I finish an important piece of writing, like an article, pitch email, or, just recently, my first novel. It reminds me of my greatest ally as a writer. “To me, the single biggest mark of the amateur…Writing5 min readWriting5 min read
Published inPolyamory Today·Jan 25, 2022Member-onlyHow We Define Cheating In Our Non-Monogamous RelationshipWhether you’re polyamorous or monogamous, cheating must be defined by you and your partner(s). — A strictly monogamous friend asked me once: “As a poly person, how do you define cheating?” And I said: Anything that breaks an agreement you and your partner made. Any action that betrays the boundaries you both defined. He looked surprised. “You made an agreement?” Then he paused. “Oh. Right…Polyamory5 min readPolyamory5 min read